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(not satire – it’s UK policing today!)
Police swooped on a group of homeless men on Thursday night in London, confiscating their sleeping bags and even food parcels donated to them by the Salvation Army.
As if the police wasting time on attacking homeless people instead of catching real criminals is not bad enough – the explanation for the action from the Chief Inspector of Ilford, John Fish, is even more amazing.
He said the public rely on police “to reduce the negative impact of rough sleepers” – including confiscating their belongings.
Now maybe there is zero percent crime in Ilford. Maybe there are no murders, rapes, burglaries, muggings and violence there or in the surrounding areas – in which case I offer my sincerest apologies to C.I Fish for this article and congratulate him on his good fortune for being able to allocate so much of his officers’ time on matters which should normally be of no interest to the police.
But even if there is the smallest amount of crime taking place in his area – I think I need to explain something really important to Chief Inspector Fish.
While there is crime on our streets and in our homes, the public don’t rely on you and your officers to confiscate food parcels from homeless people.
We rely on you to catch f***ing criminals. OK?
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Here’s the full quote from C.I Fish explaining his actions:
The public rely on police to reduce the negative impact of rough sleepers, this includes the need for us to assist in the removal of temporary structures, tents, and bedding from public spaces and other inappropriate locations.
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And here’s a link to the original story from the Ilford Recorder:
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Please feel free to comment – you don’t need to register and I’m extremely minimal with the moderating – so please go ahead.
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Reblogged this on nearlydead.
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The cops can “move you on” but they can only confiscate generally non-illegal stuff like tins of cider if you are drinking in somewhere that the local council has officially designated a non-alcohol-drinking zone.
Outside the zone if they take your property the cops are stealing from individuals, which appears, IMHO, to be exactly that. Theft.
Just imagine any other thing that an ordinary middle class person has walking down the street….
Can the cops take your phone? No.
What about your trousers? No.
What about your hat? No.
They can take something that helps with their duty, such as taking your car to chase someone, but taking your food and bedding is not only immoral, it’s actually theft and serves no purpose in helping the police do their duty.
CI Fish needs throwing out of the pond and left to flap in his own arrogant drowning. He’s certainly lost the plot and all sense of duty and humanity.
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Homeless people are ‘people’ – I was walking down the road in town a couple of months ago and the police stopped a homeless guy and wanted to arrest him for sitting on the pavement – you can imagine what I did (happened to be wearing 5 inch heels at the time which made it funnier) Yes I sat down on the pavement and asked if he wanted to arrest me – he declined and went away – honestly!! Had a nice cuppa with guy and went on my way …. 😉
People are people – all the same everywhere no one is better than else – all human (I think)
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Dr Tig – well said. And well done.
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Yay Dr Tig! Way to go.
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Aragh!! I spent 27 years working with homeless people. What impact do they think that this will have? It will affect the charitable organisations the most. Next day they will need to get another sleeping bag? What is the point?
This is behaving like the nanny state. Where are people meant to live, if there is nowhere? If there is an increase in homeless? So, lets have a list of the messages from this stupid government who has no clue about the real world
– Overcrowding
– Not enough housing (hence excuse for bedroom tax)
– Sick people are fit to work?
– Reduction in funding to public services who provide support to the homeless
– Falsely massaged figures for the rough sleepers count (that is bad)
And now they are going to kick people even further when they are down? Will this not produce yet more pressure for housing, of which they say that there is none?
Aragh – people could afford to buy if the greedy politicians were not keeping house prices so high to fool people into thinking that they have more money than they think.
This makes me really angry. Street homeless are some of the most vulnerable people in society. Already they are at risk of being robbed, or attacked by others on the streets. The police are meant to be there to protect people. Not make vulnerable people feel more vulnerable!!! (rant over) 🙂
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Totally incredible Tom…wonder what the good people of Ilford think of it….or maybe they instigated this appalling act. In which case they should join the police in being heartily ashamed
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never mind heartily ashamed. isn’t this simple theft, or robbery? what would the police do if they all rang 999 and reported it? charge them with wasting police time? it’s close to incredible, and utterly shaming.
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Well i suspect they were moved on after people having to step over them leaving the Theatre.
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Disgraceful, but sadly not surprising that the thugs in uniform see fit to bully homeless people who are in no position to do much about it.
Rough sleepers impact negatively on a government that has created a situation whereby those who are most vulnerable are the most likely to be made homeless.
Perhaps the chief inspector has hopes of becoming a bigger fish by removing a highly visible sign of governmental bastardry from Ilford.
The upstanding residents of Ilford are not being well served when the police ‘sevice’ waste time bullying the vulnerable as a political favour instead of doing police work.
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As chair of a CAB trustee board, I wholly support your condemnation. We are already seeing people whom we cannot help, because of the constraints of the new legislation. As the benefit cuts begin to bite even harder, there will be more homeless people as a direct result. The police, by taking away the free food from people, are acting directly against what Cameron so wrongly designates ‘the big society’ at work, but which is in fact a desperate attempt to feed people in one of the richest economies in the world.
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Reblogged this on Ned Hamson Second Line View of the News and commented:
sigh – so swells can feel swell and not touched by those who are not so swell…
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what ever happened to the principles of natural justice….homelessness, is caused by an acute shortage of affordable housing and nothing else…
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IDS in the MP for this district he is afraid they will get a voting address and kick him into touch where he belongs
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If you can have sites for gipsy’s then there should be sites where the homeless can pitch their tents, better still build some homes to put the homeless in instead of victimising them.
What is wrong, do the people of Ilford not like to face reality i.e. that there is ever increasing homelessness or are they just concerned it may affect their house prices?
Where are the social workers to look after and protect the homeless? For the police to move them on and steal their food is the height of cruelty.
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In case anyone fancies letting Ilford police know what they think, here is a page with contact details: http://content.met.police.uk/PoliceStation/ilford
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That’s the sort of thinking I’m looking for. I’ve found a facebook group that is collecting for replacement sleeping bags but I’m looking for a mass sleep-out in Ilford. Not found it yet.
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sent to the address below this morning:
“please advise me of the officers name who authorised the removal of goods from the homeless people in redbridge.
i will be pursuing enquiries into the lawfulness of the police force being used in such a way.
a full list of the names of the officers who carried out the order will be required.
thank you for your co-operation
paul barnard”
https://secure.met.police.uk/boroughcontactform/index.php?rid=2824
(nothing back yet…)
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Already done that, and emailed my MP asking for questions to be raised in the House.
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Following the story with interest.
Thanks for taking the time to blog it.
J.
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I think the Police, in this case, should be bought in front of the beak…. Attempted homicide would cover it…. ?
Put them in a cell for the night, give them a breakfast. Don’t take their equipment ….
Where is the duty of care ?
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The negative affect would be the lowering of property values i think he means. How about the negative affect of a lying two faced incompetent govt dept called DWP and the deaths and trouble they cause
Now i see scumbags trying to link the woolwich attack to benefits claimants ..
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Let me see i net they received a ‘ number of complaints’ from curtain twitchers ppl who think that people wearing Brown shoes is a clear example of communist sympathies..and those people should be severley dealt with. In fact if they have beards too then Its obvious Weve been invaded by the kgb ..
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Just like in America, it’s becoming a crime to be poor in the UK today
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I find it scary this was not widely reported. If these things can start happening unnoticed, undebated, before you know where you are they are acceptable. I’m frightened how unemployed people, sick and homeless are being labelled scroungers. Someone on Question Time said “Idle work for idle hands” which was the motive behind workhouses. How long before someone comes up with the bright idea of solving the energy crisis by rounding up unemployed people and making them go on treadmills to generate electricity, just to earn the right to have food and sleep? Such people will not be seen as fit to look after their own children and would never be paid enough to escape. We are heading for Victorian times but without the Christian ethic of looking after those weaker than yourself. One of the criticisms of social workers when they put a protection order on our child was that my partner and I are unemployed. The insinuation being we are feckless liars. The ideal of everyone being equal in the eyes of the state is disappearing. We got our child back, but he no longer has any respect for authority after what it did to him. I’m scared soon the state will look after those who pay for the state, and everyone else can, literally, go hang.
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Everyone should worry about the callouseness emerging these days, as it applies to old people too, particularly to those with alzheimers. If this sort of attitude is encouraged only the very, very rich will want to live to a ripe old age. Which I guess is just as well if the NHS goes down.
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That just about takes the biscuit about plod taking food parcels away from the homeless. What the hell is happening in this Big Brother country we live iN. Total madness
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obviously seen as labour voter’s.
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You can try your local branch of http://ilovefreegle.org.org we’re a nonprofit voluntary recycling/reuse give or get its completely free! Freegle means ‘Free Giving Locally easily’ and has only one goal ‘To Stop Good Stuff Going to Landfill’ and in doing that support UK local communities. Homeless and other resource centre’s, Hostels, Safe Houses, Community Groups, Voluntary organisations and many more can post for resources completely free of charge.
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Hear hear!
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You can also find them on FB and Twitter and hammer them there!
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Don’t get me started on IDS the man and his master are monsters!
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yes all of them are
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Make sure you make it the subject a formal FOI. The police are a public authority and cannot refuse to furnish the information requested.
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I know this web site presents quality based articles or reviews and extra stuff,
is there any other web page which gives these information in quality?
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